Astarael: The Necromancer
by godsavetheminority
Summary: Astarael meets a guy in death he and the guy are put in the harry potter dimension when leaving death. Astarael/S'eth and harry/draco in later chapters
1. Dictionary

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and co. or anyone from Garth Nix's trilogy about the abhorsen.  
  
A/N: the G Nix trilogy books go Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen. Albeit, I haven't read the third book it is a very good twosome so far. I might be mentioning people from the books and I definitely will be using things from the books, duh. I have set up this chapter as a dictionary for the rest of the chapters.  
  
Dictionary:  
  
Abhorsen: The only legal necromancer. This man or woman works to undo all the horrible things evil necromancers have done. This includes binding Dead and destroying Greater Dead.  
  
Ancelstierre: Non-magic(muggle if you will) city(country. Not really sure.) next to the wall.  
  
Astarael: 7th bell of the necromancer. Known as the weeper or the banisher. It will take everyone who hears it, including the ringer, past the ninth gate of death.  
  
Belgaer: 5th bell of the necromancer. Known as the thinker. Don't mess with this bell. I think I'll take what Nix said to explain this one it is difficult to get it right. "another trick some bell that sought to ring of its own accord." It can bring independent thought, and memory. With an untrained user it can take away all thought, memory, or the patterns of a living person.  
  
Charter Mage: a user of the charter  
  
Charter Magic: Charter is good magic. This magic is restrained by characters or charter marks.  
  
Charter Mark: 1. Magical marks in the charter. 2. Magical mark on a charter mage's forehead marking them as a user of the charter.  
  
Charter Stone: A source of the charter. The closer you are to a stone the better your magic is. The only way you can break a stone is to kill a charter mage and pour their blood onto the stone. The only way to restore or make a charter stone is also with the blood of the charter but the mage does not need to be slain for this process.  
  
Clayr: A group of women who live in a glacier in the Kingdom. These women see the future in the ice.  
  
Corrupted Charter Mark: When a person is corrupted with evil so is their charter mark.  
  
Death: This is the place that you go or travel into weather you die or you are a necromancer. There are nine gates here once you go past the ninth you can't come back.  
  
Dyrim: 4th bell of the necromancer. Also known as the speaker. It can give or take the speech of the dead.  
  
Fake Charter Mark: Free Magic sometimes will put on a fake charter mark to conceal themselves.  
  
Free Magic: Magic that is unrestrained by the charter. Free magic is a risky business. The free magic could easily take over its mage and make them a purely evil free magic being.  
  
Kibeth: 3rd bell of the necromancer. Is known as the walker. A bell not to be trifled with. This bell can give freedom of movement to the dead or just the opposite; it can make anyone in death come to the caller. It can throw those in death farther into death. Also it can sometimes make the wielder walk farther in.  
  
Mosrael: 2nd bell of the necromancer. Known as the waker. A seesaw of sorts, it is able to wake the dead and bring them into life while the wielder is sent farther into death.  
  
Necromancer: A free magic sorcerer or sorceress who can control the dead with their seven bells.  
  
Old Kingdom: The Kingdom in which charter magic and free magic coexist in hostility. Not everyone living in the Kingdom has magic but if they do then it's usually of the charter and not of free.  
  
Ranna: 1st bell of the necromancer. Smallest bell. It is known as the sleeper. It will put anyone who hears it, not including the user, into sleep.  
  
Remebrancer: Like the necromancer they can travel into Death. Instead of bells they have small pipes with only half the power of the bells. They go into death to see the past in the dark mirror. You can only be of clayr and necromancer blood to be a remembrancer.  
  
Saraneth: 6th bell of the necromancer. Second largest bell. It is known as the binder. Shackles the dead to the wielders will.  
  
Stilken: Evil free magic creature. Half-woman and half-crustacean.  
  
The Wall: Built to protect Ancelstierre from all evils in the Kingdom, it was erected from the charter and made by the wallmakers (go figure) right in the middle of Ancelstierre and the Kingdom. 


	2. When the Dead do walk, seek water's run

Disclaimer:  I don't own squat.  I can't even take claim to the main character because of his name.  Nevertheless, the plot and his personality are mine I guess.  Iono these things are confusing.

Chapter One

"When the Dead do walk, seek water's run."

            Astarael was very excited.  He was back in the Old Kingdom.  Don't get me wrong he loved Ancelstierre, but he felt that when he was there he was only half a person, as if half of him was missing.  Of course, he knew why though.  It was because there was no charter stones past the wall no magic worked there.  Not even the unrestrained free magic.  

            He loved the Old Kingdom.  He loved the sight, the sound, and the purity of it.  Nothing was synthetic here.  Nothing was machine built.  It was all so pure; so real.  Nothing like Ancelstierre.  If you tried to drive a car into the Kingdom, even the knobs on the radio would crumble.  Nothing machine built worked in the Kingdom.  Even paper would crumble and rot.

~ - ~

            Astarael went to boarding school across the wall, but now that he ran out of money, given to him by the kingdom for being an orphan, he had to go back to the Kingdom to become an apprentice.  He was going to live with his old master.  

The man was a former necromancer but would never admit to it.  Astarael only knew of it because the old man had books on it and even bells.  Being a necromancer had been outlawed many years ago, and the old man didn't really want to go against the King.  It wasn't particularly smart.  

The old man was a master artisan.  He was pretty good at it and so was Astarael, but Astarael's real passion was for his master's bells, which were hidden in the barn behind the artisan's house.  Late at night, after the master and lady had retired he would trace his way back through the dark abyss and go into the barn.  He was a master with the bells.  He had read everything he needed to know about them.  Oh, how he couldn't wait to go into Death again.  He had a rush of adrenalin just thinking about it.  He could just feel the smooth mahogany handles of the bells and the rough leather of the bandolier.  Two more days until his arrival there.  He just couldn't wait.

~ - ~

            He was there!  He was finally there!  When he arrived the lady came out and greeted him.

            "Ast'el!!" She cooed.  Much like the mother he never had, he thought.

            "Weeper."  The old man also greeted him warmly.  After all, he was the son they never had.  They had found him when he was just a small boy around the age of four.  He was sitting in a haystack on the side of the King's road, weeping.  He had no idea of who he was.  If he had any parents, they were long gone, and if he had a name, it was long forgotten.  The old couple was moved by the boys persistent crying.  They named him Astarael after the seventh bell of the necromancer.  Astarael, the weeper.

~ - ~

            Astarael wasn't able to go to the barn until the next night.  The old couple had decided on a small welcoming party.  The party was also to celebrate his guessed birthday of 16.  Since they didn't know what his birthday really was, they just said it as the day they found him.  It was just them, but it still stopped him from being able to get up in the middle of the night.  He was just too tired.  

            When he was finally able to go the next night, he was so excited.  He picked his way through the yard and back to the old barn.  He had to stop a few times because he thought he had heard some movement coming from the house.  Silently he opened the door and walked in.  He lighted a lamp and went to work to get the bells out of their hiding place up on the loft.  He brought them back down to the first floor and slipped them over his head.  He could feel the ice cold chill of death penetrating his skin.  He didn't have to feel out Death to go in like most people.  He just went in.

            He crossed the barrier between Life and Death easily.  Almost right away, he could feel the swift chilling current of Death's river.  He felt strangely at home here.  Many times he had thought of taking his life to permanently become part of the river that most people dreaded.  He knew he couldn't though, and until he died, he would just have to do with his occasional visits.  

            For a fleeting moment, he considered letting the river's swift current carry him past the first gate and beyond, but he knew this as normal.  It was the river's job to carry all who walk in it past the ninth gate.  So naturally, it had its own little spell to make those walkers want to lie down and be carried off.  Astarael quickly overcame the spell and walked on.  He stood where he was for a few more minutes knowing that he shouldn't.  If you stayed in Death longer than you should than Dead creatures come after you.

            Sure enough, he heard a movement come from behind him, but he didn't smell the usual stench of the Dead.  What he could smell though, smelled quite sweet.  He turned around quickly, and drew Saraneth, the Binder.  He rang the bell before he even knew who was there.  

            When he did look, he saw a beautiful boy about his age.  Beautiful was an understatement.  He was drop dead gorgeous.  His sandy blond hair contrasted a lot to Astarael's deep blackish brown.  He had deep green eyes that were flashing black. 'Probably angry 'bout this situation,' Astarael thought.  The boy had a set of bells and a beautiful sword.  He held the sword and the bells were around him on a bandolier.  His face was beautiful.  High cheekbones complemented the wonderful jaw line, and full lips finished it off.  Charter he was beautiful. 

            Astarael saw a charter mark on his forehead.  He reached out to touch it.  On touch, he felt the charter run through him.  The mark was uncorrupted.

            "I'm sorry about this."  Astarael shouted over the river.  "I'll let you go.  I just wanted you to know I mean you no harm."  Astarael rang Saraneth again.  "Hi, I'm Astarael.  You can call me Ast'el," he said with a blush.

            "The seventh bell.  The weeper.  Tell me do you weep?"  The boy's question was asked in a sweet voice.

            "Not for a very long time now," Astarael answered.

            The boy smiled and said, "My name is S'eth."(A/N: Pronounced Seth and Ass tell)

            "So, why are you here in death?"  S'eth asked, smiling.  S'eth noticed Astarael's blush, and put his hand on the other boy's arm.  Astarael went even redder, and S'eth smirked.

            "You like that?" S'eth asked casually.  Astarael went redder if possible.

            "Hmmm… Sorry Ast'el.  I must go back into Life now."  He turned and walked towards the barrier.

            "Wait!"  Astarael reached out to him.  "Where is your body?  So I can find you."

            "I live in Edge."

            "Really?  So, do I.  That must be why we were so close in Death."  Astarael seemed almost eager with this news.  S'eth smiled.

            Yes, that would explain it."  He smiled ruefully.

            "I'll see you in Life then, S'eth?"  Astarael loved the sound of his name.

            "Yes, you will."  Astarael grinned.  He really liked S'eth.  Even if it was a physical thing.  But come on he was really hot.  S'eth turned and walked through the barrier with Astarael hot on his heels.  They both smiled as the familiar warmth of Life overwhelmed them.  

            When he reached Life, Astarael looked around.  This was defiantly not the barn.  Where was he?  Correction, where were they?  He looked over and S'eth was there.  It sure felt like Life, and he could tell this was his body.  It still had ice on it from his trip into Death.  So did S'eth's.  

            He looked around.  They were in a huge hall with five large tables.  Four had younger and older children seated at them and one had adults seated at it.  Astarael guessed it was some kind of school.  He then noticed everyone staring at them.  An old man with a long silvery beard started walking towards them.  Astarael saw S'eth draw Ranna, the sleeper, but he didn't ring it.  A beautiful blond boy at the last table to the right laughed.  He was saying something about a silly little useless bell would be Dumbedora's downfall.  Something like that.

            "Hello boys."  The old man spoke, "I am Professor Dumbledore the headmaster of Hogwarts."

            "Hogwarts?" S'eth asked.  He seemed to have kept his cool through it all.  Astarael, on the other hand, scooted closer to him for comfort.  It wasn't that he was a coward.  It was just that he didn't like new people and big crowds.  So, obviously, a big crowd of new people wasn't very appealing.  Not that he wasn't nervous around S'eth, because he was.  It's just that S'eth was a necromancer and he knew this, but these other people all reeked of free magic, only it wasn't free magic at all.  It smelled like free magic, but it didn't reek of the evil of free magic.  He found it very curious.  It was then that he noticed Dumbledore and S'eth speaking.  Something about a school he thought.

            "Ancelstierre?"  Dumbledore was saying, "Well I really don't know were it is.  I never heard of it.  How about you Miss Granger," he looked to a girl next to them, "Have you ever heard of it.?"

            "No, Headmaster, I haven't," the girl answered him politely.

            Astarael looked around a bit more, and noticed a few boys and girls looking at them.  They were boring holes into them.  He 'epped,' and slipped his arm around S'eth's arm.   Paranoia was setting in.  First of all, there was the thing about big crowds of strangers.  Second of all, he didn't like to be stared at.  Third of all, he just wanted to touch S'eth.  S'eth looked down at him- Astarael was about four inches shorter than S'eth- and smirked.

            "We are no threat to you."  S'eth looked back to Dumbledore.  The man smiled and nodded.

            "Same here.  Are you hungry?" Dumbledore asked this almost gleefully.

            "Actually I'm just tired."  Astarael spoke for the first time, "It was the middle of the night when I went into Death."  Dumbledore looked a bit confused at the mention of Death, but brushed it off by saying: 

"Are you sure?"  Before Astarael could say anything S'eth did.

"Why don't we eat first Ast'el?"

"Alright, S'eth."  Charter, he liked that name.

"Are those your names?"  Dumbledore really did look too happy.  He was quite mad and scary looking.

"Yes, I am S'eth and this is Astarael, or Ast'el."

"And now, how old are you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Sixteen," S'eth answered.

"Me too," Astarael added.

"School," Dumbledore began in a big booming voice, "this is S'eth," he waved his hand at S'eth, " and Astarael," he did the same to Astarael.

"You can sit here."  Dumbledore pointed next to the girl he had called on earlier.  S'eth practically led Astarael the four feet to the bench.  They sat down and everyone said hello to both the confidant and paranoid boy.  Evidently it wasn't too abnormal to have people just appear inside the Great Hall, which is what they called the place they were in.  Evidently sometimes it was even expected.

TBC

Flames?  Questions? Comments?

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